Speeches by Peacock.

“I totally take that point. I say it from the outset that I very much acknowledge it, as does the Secretary of State. We were both in attendance at the Grand Prix last summer. I was at the Motorsport Awards in January and I have met with F1 about the points that you have put to me. As well as the Committee visiting, I b…”

“It is all the things that you have heard—that we can be greater.”

“That is a very fair point. From my engagement with the sector, it has been welcomed. The Government accepted the recommendations, but I appreciate the points being made. If there are specific things they think that the Government should do more, and indeed across Government, I am happy to take away those recommendation…”

“I do appreciate that there are pressures on the sector. I am not familiar with those figures. I have engaged with the tourism sector a lot in the six months that I have been the Tourism Minister. I appreciate the cumulative pressures on the sector. I heard that at first hand. Talking of cross-Government working, I have…”

“It is the points that you heard from a number of different witnesses. We host the events, we do that really well and there is a vote of confidence that we have such an exciting pipeline of events, but clearly we could go further and make more of those benefits. Particularly when it comes to the legacy of Euro 2028, I m…”

“I reiterate the point that I opened with. Major events are about our self-confidence as a nation. They are about showcasing the country on the global stage. All the different examples that we have talked about, whether it be F1 or Wimbledon, and whether it be the ones that we are hosting such as the Euros or the Tour d…”

“I would be very interested to see the outcome of these two reviews. I am not ruling that out. It is a policy area that falls across Government. We have an interest, as do the Home Office and Cabinet Office. There clearly is a concern shared by industry and by the witnesses from whom you have heard about those inconsist…”

“I hope I am not mischaracterising the theme of the evidence that the witnesses gave, but I think it was broadly welcomed, and that has been my experience when talking to the sector. The basic aim behind it was to remove barriers at all different levels. Through that taskforce, the Government accepted the recommendation…”

“We probably need to keep that under review. I pointed to the pilot taking place in London. There is that balance between giving power to local areas and letting them do it in the best way that suits them, which can sometimes lead to some doing it better than others. It is an area where I am very keen to see how it roll…”

“We speak regularly to the Business Department. I have pointed out that Minister McDougall has been engaged in a lot of ongoing discussions.”

“That is an important question and resonates with me as MP for Barnsley South. It is something I think about often. I can give some clear examples of where legacy planning starts from the outset and we think about how we can get as many people involved as possible. I went to the figure skating in Sheffield and met some …”

“That is a completely fair point. When you talk about touring and music, and moving equipment, Minister Murray leads on that. I met with him ahead of this Committee. I will put the points to him that you put to me. We engage across Government and we engage on an ongoing basis with the EU, which is led by the Cabinet Off…”

“I acknowledge that point.”

“I will have to write to the Committee on that point.”

“I met with Mayor Kim McGuinness last week. I have met with mayors, and when I have been out and about doing visits I regularly meet my counterparts, often on a very practical level but also to talk about shared opportunities. When I attended the Olympics and Paralympics, there was a Sports Ministers meeting. We will ho…”

“I was really struck by the evidence that he gave. I listened to that session that the Committee held. He talked through the history of them, how they emerged from Hillsborough, particularly around football, and the acknowledgment that there is benefit for all major events. Clearly, it is a concern that, over the last j…”

“We have had huge interest in the Town of Culture programme, as I am sure you are aware. We have had more than 400 applicants. That is incredibly welcome. One recommendation of the predecessor Committee was to give that money up front for the City of Culture, which has been done. I referenced the fact that we are hostin…”

“We would all agree with that. Of course, there were mistakes made and lessons need to be learned, and that is really important, but as I said just now, they are inherently a good thing. I discuss the issue across Government. I have spoken to the Home Office about it, and we have agreed very clearly that following those…”

“I heard the evidence they gave and I was quite struck by some of the details. They talked about their pyramid of events. There was perhaps a sense of caution. They welcomed a UK strategy perhaps, but they did not want to cut across it. That is something we hear from both the regions and nations on anything from the UK …”

“A stronger, clearer vision, which I have set the scene for, and clearly, better co-ordination so that, for the organisations that you have put to me today, whether it be F1 or others, we can do a better job at communicating and having a clear front door into Government so that it is easier and simpler to do business wi…”